“There’s a camera above the door,” she warned as they walked up to the large, solid front door. “It’s a Techart Nova. They transmit live and also record. One of the best cameras on the market.”
She was sure, by now, that camera had picked up the bright yellow FBI logo on Connor’s jacket. By now, if he was looking, Guy would know that law enforcement was knocking.
“You want me to try hack it?” she asked, wondering if she could obscure or pause the footage for a while.
“Let’s do it the easier way,” Connor said.
Reaching up high, he grabbed the camera and pushed it aside.
Cami blinked, surprised and taken aback. “The direct approach, right?”
But Connor wasn’t in the mood for humor. “Remember what I told you,” he said, before stepping up and ringing the doorbell. The pealing sound resounded through the house.
Cami stood a pace behind Connor, wondering what he was thinking and wondering what would play out when the door was opened.
There was a tense silence. Did she hear music being turned off? It sounded like the faint thump of music might have stopped at that moment.
And then, Cami heard footsteps approach, and her heart thumped in time with them.
The door was opened. She had her first view of Guy Vernon, who might be a killer and who had definitely sent harassing messages to Adriana a couple of days before she’d died.
He was a tall, big, solid guy, easily six-two, with a mop of dark hair and heavy shoulders. He was wearing a black dressing gown. His features were florid and heavy, and they looked flushed.
“Hi there. Hi, hi,” he said heartily. “Can I help?”
He was sweating, Cami noticed with interest. His face was covered in a sheen of sweat, and a trickle of perspiration oozed down his temple. He was breathing hard. What had he been doing? she wondered.
“I’m Special Agent Connor, from the FBI.” Connor said.
Cami felt tense as she saw Guy Vernon’s eyes narrow at the sight of the FBI badge.
“The FBI? What have I done?” Guy said with a haunted look. “What’s this all about?”
“We just need to ask you some questions. Can we come in?”
“Oh, yeah, sure, sure.” But he didn’t look as if he thought this was a good idea. He was not allowing them into his space willingly. That she could see.
Guy Vernon stood back and allowed them into his house.
Cami followed Connor into the house. She looked around. The place was spacious, an open plan. The hallway led straight into a modern lounge, and Cami could see a big console set up beyond, in what looked like the dining room. The screen was set up on a wall. There was a collection of controllers and headsets. It looked well-equipped for online gaming.
For sure, this guy spent a lot of time online. A lot of money on his hobby, she could see immediately from the state-of-the-art equipment. The home was modern and well-furnished too.
“What do you want to ask?” he said.
Cami noted that Guy hadn’t sat on the sleek leather couches. Nor had he asked them to sit. He was standing, fidgeting, and still sweating. He looked extremely uneasy.
Connor hadn’t taken his eyes off of him. Cami guessed he was as suspicious of him as Cami felt. There was something strange going on here.
“We’re here in connection with two recent murders,” Connor said loudly, his voice authoritative.
But he got no further.
At that moment, there was a muffled, terrified scream from the bedroom.
Cami froze. Her heart was pounding. What was going on here? What was playing out?
Connor stared at Guy. Cami could see this man was on the edge of his nerves. Something explosive was about to happen. She felt as if she couldn’t even breathe.
It only took a moment for Connor to act. And he didn’t dash for the bedroom, as Cami had expected.
Instead, he lunged for Guy himself.